Overkill - Historikill 1995-2007 (2015) [14CD Box Set]

Although everybody seems to have a different account of who came first in the world of New York/New Jersey area thrash metal, it seems certain that New Jersey's Overkill have stayed around the longest, and have never let their fans down by remaining musically consistent and true to their roots for over 30 years. Through much hard work and a slew of infamous live performances at New York area clubs like L'Amours, Overkill established a reputation as a blue-collar, working man's metal band. After the band released a self-financed EP in 1984, Overkill broke onto the scene in 1985 with Feel The Fire, a crushing thrash assault from the self-proclaimed "Wrecking Crew". Originally consisting of vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, bassist D.D. Verni, guitarist Bobby Gustafson, and drummer Rat Skates - were on a tear, borrowing heavily from punk rock roots while adding a venomous metal crunch that allowed them to compete favourably with peers like Testament, Anthrax, and Megadeth.

Numerous classic albums followed including 'Taking Over' and 'Horrorscope' and in 2009 Overkill signed a contract with Nuclear Blast and released the eagerly awaited and acclaimed "Ironbound". Headlining tours ("Killfest") across the old continent and successful gigs on almost every big European festival followed. This album took Overkill back where they belong: the top! 2014 unleashed "White Devil Armory", where they refreshed and modernized the Overkill trademark.

Having recently inked a new worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records, their first worldwide release will be a special box set: 'HistoriKill: 1995 - 2007' a complete collection of their pre-NB recordings. It will include eleven Overkill albums on 13 CDs and a bonus CD (incl. demos, remixes and an unreleased cover song) all in sleek digipack sleeves.

~ amazon

Overkill mercifully chose to bide their time regarding the release of their first professionally produced live album. The early '90s brought us behind the scenes footage alongside then-new music videos in Videoscope, but other than bootlegs, quality live footage of Overkill was simply not easy to procure. The real bummer here is that the this particular lineup of Overkill had the best stage presence along with seamless integration of the old material with the new. With Overkill's lineup facing an uncertain future for the second time in five years, the band decided to release their first earnest attempt at a live album as well as a rightfully-deserved swansong for departing axeslingers Cannavino and Gant.

What elevates this above Overkill's other live album Wrecking Everything is the same thing that brought down the aforementioned 2002 album: it's location in Overkill's history. While Wrecking Everything suffered from the inclusion of the tepid groove material that had begun to infect the band's setlists in earnest by that point, Wrecking Your Neck Live benefits from being released prior to The Killing Kind, Bloodletting, and the other late '90s albums that contributed much of the lamer material to Wrecking Everything. Being dropped during the cryptic period immediately following W.F.O., we naturally get a lot of material from said album, along with large chunks of I Hear Black and Horrorscope. When I was younger I would simply call this the "W.F.O. live album", since most of the band's 1994 record is included here. In fact, many of the songs here are obscure W.F.O. inclusions that were likely never/rarely played again afterward, like "Under One" and "Supersonic Hate".

The I Hear Black material is naturally neither here nor there from an entertainment viewpoint, although the two cuts included are among that album's best, making Wrecking Your Neck Live only that much easier to digest at the end of the day. The inclusion of my all-time Overkill favorite "New Machine" earns the album big personal brownie points, and other than a lack of material from Taking Over, the group's earlier material is represented well-enough. In typical Overkill fashion the proceedings are wrapped up courtesy of the cover song "Fuck You". All-in-all a great setlist that is skewed towards material that is all but entirely disregarded nowadays, helping give Wrecking Your Neck Live a unique value even today.

Ironically, this release also sounds much like W.F.O., with Verni's clanging bass tones leading the charge alongside Cannavino's polished rhythm. The guitars aren't necessarily quiet, but just like on the album they often represent here, the six-strings can't help but embody an afterthought of sorts after the vehement bass is taken into account. Verni even includes a one-off bass instrumental called "Anxiety". It sounds decent enough and reminds the crowd that Verni actually does have fairly deft fingers on the four-string, lest we forget. Mallare's presence was still fresh at the time of Wrecking Your Neck Live's release, so he plays with more a fire lit under his ass and feels the need to ratchet up the speed most of the time, adding a new dimension to otherwise plodding mid-paced numbers like "Under One".

While Wrecking Everything is longer and features a video companion piece, it still can't dethrone Wrecking Your Neck Live as Overkill's greatest live record. The production values are crisp and pluggy, lending to the guitars' neck-jerking patterns and Gant's digital-sounding leads. Blitz is also showcased during one of his better vocal periods. Bittersweet conclusion to the end of an era.

by Diamhea, metal-archives.com

In 1996, Overkill was infused with a new musical spark as two new guitarists (Joe Comeau and Sebastian Marino) joined the band's ranks, bringing with them some fresh riffs and a higher overall level of musicianship. There is no place where this is better demonstrated than on the instrumental "Feeding Frenzy," a quick-paced, double bass attack anthem. Joining Comeau and Marino on The Killing Kind are original members Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth on vocals, D.D. Verni on bass, and relative newcomer Tim Mallare on drums. Together, this late-model lineup of the band produce a punchy metal grind that's as musically accomplished as anything Overkill produced. Other standout tracks included the ferociously tight "Bold Pagan Stomp" and "Let Me Shut That For You." After over a decade of thrash and aggressive metal releases, Overkill prove on The Killing Kind that time and music trends had no affect on their commitment to seriously heavy metal.

by Jason Anderson, AMG

Yet another solid metal outing from veteran New York thrash/power metal outfit Overkill, From the Underground and Below again demonstrates the consistent inventive and energetic stylings that made this band one of America's best underground metal outfits. Together for their third release, the very effective lineup of Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth on vocals, D.D. Verni on bass, Sebastion Marino and Joe Comeau on guitar and drummer Tim Mallare plow through ten ultra-heavy tracks laced with all the spirited aggression fans of the band should expect. Standout tracks include "Long Time Dyin'" and "Half Past Dead" – just two examples that feature the biting guitar riffs and thumping drums that typify the kind of aggressiveness and precision that Overkill used to build a solid musical reputation. Ellsworth's performances are not quite up to speed on From the Underground and Below, but any vocal shortcomings on this disc are more than made up for by the truly inspired guitar and drum performances and articulate, inventive material.

by Jason Anderson, AMG

Overkill's 1999 release Necroshine is both a raw and mildly experimental release for the New York thrash veterans. The slightly stripped-down production may have been intended to harken back to the group's '80s glory days, but after a few significant lineup changes and noticeable (but not necessarily extensive) musical evolution there really was no turning back for the group, especially when considering that they hadn't gone very far in the first place. The mid-'90s additions of guitarists Joe Comeau and Sebastion Marino did refine the groups sonic attack, as the new musicians added a technically proficiency and instrumental depth that the group used to reinforce rather than drift away from their pulsing, aggressive "second wave of thrash" attack. While certainly not a groundbreaking effort, Necroshine has a depth that many Overkill fans might find refreshing. The pounding grind and dynamic vocals of "80 Cycles" is just one example of the band's expanded, yet familiar songwriting repertoire. Other standouts include the steamy "Forked Tongued Kiss" and the title track that opens Necroshine with some monster riffing and a fine vocal performance by Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth. It's very safe to say that serious fans of the group will not be disappointed with Necroshine.

by Jason Anderson, AMG

Coverkill arrives only several months after its predecessor Necroshine, consisting – as the title suggests – entirely of cover tunes rather than any newly written material. Some of the choices are predictable, but to their credit, Overkill picks some of the more underrated items from major metal artists like Black Sabbath ("Hole in the Sky," "Cornucopia," "Never Say Die"), Deep Purple ("Space Truckin'"), Kiss ("Deuce"), Judas Priest ("Tyrant"), Manowar ("Death Tone"), Jethro Tull ("Hymn 43"), plus the Motorhead tune that gave Overkill their name. These parts of the album actually work pretty well since Overkill is a tight, professional metal band, and they've chosen high-quality material. More problematic are the punk covers by first-generation bands like the Dead Boys ("Ain't Nothin' to Do"), the Sex Pistols ("No Feelings"), and the Ramones ("I'm Against It"). Most thrash/speed metal bands who have done punk covers in the past only point up the fact that metal's often rigorous technical requirements and studied theatricality don't sit well with punk's simplicity and raw expressiveness. And unfortunately, that tends to be the case here as well. But those are only three songs, leaving the rest of the record a fine showcase for Overkill's well-developed musicianship.

by Steve Huey, AMG

This disc is a great fairly mainstream metal disc that should please any fans of the genre. The material has a lot of dynamic range, and there are really no weak cuts.

by Gary Hill, AMG

Despite releasing albums steadily since 1985, Overkill has never been the subject of a true best-of collection, in which all of their best known studio tracks are neatly compiled. And while the 2002 import double-disc set Hello from the Gutter shows great promise, it ultimately falls short, since quite a few of Overkill's best tracks are included here as live versions. It's not to say that they're not worth hearing, just that when you plunk down the ducats for a compilation, you're expecting the best known renditions to be included. Still, as of the time of this album's release, it is the closest thing to an Overkill compilation out there, as such thrash metal favorites as the title track, "Elimination," "Overkill," and "Fuck You" are all included. Hello from the Gutter will have to do until the chaps at all of Overkill's labels past and present put on their thinking caps and compile a true career spanning set.

by Greg Prato, AMG

Lineups change, trends come and go, lead singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth has surgery for skin cancer, and, in an unrelated incident, falls flat on-stage in Germany (a minor stroke; full recovery expected), and Overkill still marches on. So when a long-standing, working-class band has – count 'em – 11 studio records, a classic EP, a covers album, and a double-live opus under their studded belt, metal aficionados have to at least give Wrecking Everything – Live a couple of listens and nod their heads in respect to such a wily, stubborn outfit. Longtime fans will no doubt appreciate the fact that none of the songs utilized for 1995's Wrecking Your Neck are repeated here, Overkill having arguably their most prolific period (four rock-solid studio cinderblocks) since then. But Wrecking Everything – Live still harkens back to 1985 with "Overkill" and includes choice nuggets from eight albums in the catalog, standouts being muscular riff monster "Long Time Dyin'," speed demon "Shred," and nefarious tempo-shifter "Evil Never Dies"; only the long-winded pseudo-ballad "The Years of Decay" sounds extraneous and dated. Otherwise, it's balls-out thrash from start to finish, recorded in the band's New Jersey stomping grounds and enhanced by a gutsy, clean, and powerful mix that makes Wrecking Your Neck sound thin and tinny in comparison. And one can't ignore Ellsworth's ever-strong vocal contributions – gotta love that brutal, three-packs-a-day rasp – and undeniable energy; fans who have witnessed Overkill live can attest to the wiry singer's sweaty, non-stop, Iggy Pop-like stage presence, something impossible to catch strictly on audio, but here at least in spirit. Shrugging off Wrecking Everything – Live as inessential (what? Yet another Overkill disc?) is tempting, but this punchy and aggressive live document makes the ever-tenacious outfit sound as if they have something to prove – which few outfits with 18 years in the biz so convincingly possess.

by John Serba, AMG

The New York/New Jersey wrecking crew known as Overkill continues to squeeze one tasty sausage out of the machine after the other, no frills, no baloney, no screwing around, no denying it. Kill Box 13 finds Overkill still stubbornly refusing to shed its thrash roots – and refusing to write a throwaway tune, for that matter. The combination of the band's stellar riffs and rock-solid arrangements with Colin Richardson's thick, beefy production is a big, juicy steak waiting to be devoured by any self-respecting carnivore metalhead. Singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (That mild stroke he suffered on stage in 2002? Didn't stop him) bleats as if he's backed into a corner, spittle spraying as he screams and yowls through particularly bitter opening potboilers "Devil by the Tail" and "Damned," hair, bile, and blood flying as he wields a torch to stave off the rats plaguing his soul. More bleak melody is dished out on bruisers "No Lights" and "The One," both memorable cuts thanks to gangland-shout choruses and the stellar guitar work of Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer (anyone else notice founding members Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni's innate ability to consistently recruit top-notch six-stringers?). As usual, the band's balance of in-the-pocket groove-consciousness ("Crystal Clear") and technical musicianship – the tempo changes and guitar solos are present, but not indulgent – give Overkill the undeniable blue-collar street cred that's smart and steely, and deflects any criticism with yet another backcracking riff off the top ropes. Granted, the second half of Kill Box 13 isn't as immediate or effective as the first five cuts (except maybe for closing ripper "I Rise"), but using the adjective "inconsistent" when describing anything the band has ever put its stamp on is wildly off-base, and anyone disagreeing with them is subject to a few kidney shots. Overkill's overall message here? Get the hell out of the way or get squished, no elaboration necessary.

by John Serba, AMG

The phrase 'You either love 'em or you hate 'em' could be used to describe several rock bands, but it seems custom-made for thrash veterans Overkill. Few bands throughout the history of heavy metal have thrashed as intensely or possessed a singer like Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (whose vocals give 'piercing' a whole new meaning). But the band (or more succinctly, mainstays Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni) admirably stuck to their guns through it all. Whereas many metal veterans could be spotted donning flannel shirts in the early '90s or trying out their rap skills around the turn of the century, Overkill has turned a blind eye to trends. And while they never infiltrated the mainstream like Anthrax or Megadeth, their perseverance has paid off, as they retain a strong following to this day, and continue to crank out albums, such as 2005's Relixiv. That said, each new Overkill release is not unlike each new AC/DC release – you know exactly what you're going to get. Variety may be at a minimum here, but by now, it's clear that that's how Overkill and their fans like it, as evidenced by such dense n' intense tracks as "Within Your Eyes," the Spinal Tap-like titled "Bats in the Belfry," and the rapid-fire riffs of "A Pound of Flesh." Expectedly, Relixiv won't win over any nu-metallists, but it will definitely please the long-ago converted.

by Greg Prato, AMG

Unlike other veteran metal acts whose dedication to the genre peters out as the years rack up, Overkill remain dedicated to continuing on in their original direction, as evidenced by their 15th album overall, 2007's Immortalis. Trends may come and go, but you know that Overkill are always good for supplying some good old-fashioned crunchy thrash metal, and that's something you've got to respect. And all these years later, singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth can still screech with the best of them. For old-school thrash metal, Immortalis is a true exhibition, as evidenced by such hard-hitters as the album-opening "Devils in the Mist" as well as "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Skull and Bones," the latter of which features Lamb of God's Randy Blythe guesting on vocals (who does his best drill instructor impersonation). All these years later, you still know what's in store each time you pick up a new release by Overkill. And that's just the way their fans like it – Immortalis is no different.

by Greg Prato, AMG